Dave Freudenthal

Governor of Wyoming

In 2002, Freudenthal contested the Democratic primary for the gubernatorial election held later that year and won with over 50% of the vote against a field of opponents. He went on to be elected governor of Wyoming on November 5, 2002 with 50% of the vote. He ran for reelection on November 7, 2006, and improved his vote count to 70%, sweeping every county in the state. Freudenthal announced on March 4, 2010 that he would not attempt to seek a third term as governor after speculation he would push to repeal state law on term limits;^[2] the law limited governors to eight years in office during a 16-year period.

Freudenthal remained consistently popular with his constituents throughout his tenure, even though he was a Democrat in a state that had turned almost solidly Republican.^[3] As governor he often took rather conservative positions, leading to disagreements with federal officials and environmental groups.^[4] In fact, Freudenthal and his eventual Republican successor, Matt Mead, notably held similar positions on various issues.^[5] The majority of his two terms oversaw an enormous energy boom and surpluses in government revenue, although this was later reversed after the Great Recession; Freudenthal then called for cuts to state agencies as growth continued to slow.^[6] In June 2007, following the death of Republican U.S. Senator Craig Thomas, he appointed Republican John Barrasso to the United States Senate; state law required him to select an appointee from a shortlist compiled by the Senator’s party.^[7]